bum2008 is organized by a group of Bloggers in their individual capacities in association with a relatively young organisation called the Centre for Policy Initiatives. The bum2008 Organising Committee comprises the following:
Chairperson:
YL Chong aka Desiderata
Co-Chairperson:
Bernard Khoo aka Zorro
Helen Hoh, Webmaster who also designed the Banner above … Kudos!
Chris Chew aka mob1900 …who is famous for his lampooning posters, and will soon splash a Poster on Bum2008 that will become another Desi’s collectible!
Howsy, bum2007 Co-chair who made a last-minute re-APpearance on hearing that several APs are being offered as a Lucky draw this year, steal a rumour to humour Thee.
Other VIP Members: Liew Hui Mei, Capt Yusof Ahmad, Frances Yee.
REGISTRATION & PAYMENT
Remit RM50 per head to:
Yew Wei Keat 1-12080-24112-4 Maybank.
Then Email a note to tonyyew@gmail.com, informing date of depositing in the payment; plus advising the name/s of person/s to be Registered. If need to contact Sdr Yew, tel: 012-2138257.
On May 1, 2008 PLEASE BRING ALONG YOUR BANK RECEIPT
which is treated as the ENTRY PASS to BUM2008.
Venue:
Registration:
AFTERNOON SESSION
To be chaired by Zorro,
from
The Topic is:
“Fostering Civil Society -- Various Voices”
Speakers:
Ahirudin Attan aka rockybru,President, National
Dato’ Syed Ahmad Idid, Ex-Judge; "Judge whose conscience divulged truth 12 years
ago."
Dr Azmi Sharom, Associate Professor and Columnist
Dr Lim Teck Ghee, Director, Centre for Policy InitiativesJacqueline Ann Surin, Award Winning Journalist
____________ HI-TEA BREAK _________
EVENING SESSION
To be chaired by Desi,
The Topic is:
“The Fifth Estate (Bloggers) as Agency for Change”
Speakers:
Sdr Jeff Ooi, Blogger-MP
Sdr William Leong, Lawyer-MP
Sdr Haris Ibrahim, Human Rights Advocate
Sdr R Nadeswaran aka Citizen-Nades from theSun, award-winning investigative newshound
YM Raja
Q and A: 30-45 minutes
BUFFET DINNER starts punctually at 8.30pm
register now.....not many seats left.....especially Jeff Ooi's fans who keep complaining to me that he doesn't reply to their sms and calls.The guy has a big job...best to catch him on May 1st.
5 comments:
wah u still alive ah old man...
Yep.....might probably go after you...so go prepare whatover for me OK? If you got no name very la susah for me to do a good head-stone for you buddy.
The whole world knows about our little NAPOLEON in Sarawak but not us MALAYSIANS.
He staying power is because of the seats he delivers without fail to BN in every elections ( BN thus remaining in power)
I rate him as on one of the most smartest politician and richest person in the country.
Sadly the genes did not get passed on
Asian Genre got diluted along the way
JOINT LETTER FROM JAP NGO ON CM TAIB MAHMUD]
*Subject:* JOINT LETTER FROM JAP NGO ON CM TAIB MAHMUD
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Corruption allegations against Sarawak CM Taib Mahmud and
freedom of
speech in Malaysia
Japanese NGO joint letter to PM Badawi & ACA
April 27th 2007
Dato' Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi Prime Minister of
Malaysia
CC: Director, Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA)
Subject: Corruption allegations against Sarawak CM Taib
Mahmud and
freedom of speech in Malaysia
Your Excellency,
We, the undersigned Japanese non-governmental organizations and
citizen's groups, wish to express our profound concern
regarding threats
by the Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Pehin Taib Mahmud to
lodge a
defamation suit against the Malaysiakini news service and
leaders of
Party Keadilan Rakyat Sarawak for raising allegations of his
involvement
in a RM 32 million kickback scheme reported by the Japan
Times and other
Japanese newspapers.
We understand that the corruption allegations raised against
CM Taib
Mahmud originated from a report in the Japan Times on Mar
29,, 2007 that
nine Japanese shipping companies which transport lumber from
Sarawak
failed to report some 1.1 billion yen (approximately RM 32
million) in
income paid as remuneration to Regent Star, a Hong
Kong-based agent with
connections to CM Taib Mahmud and his family, during a
period of seven
years through last March. According to the report, the Tokyo
Regional
Taxation Bureau determined that these payments were rebates,
not
legitimate expenses, and is likely to impose well over 400
million in
back taxes and penalties against the shipping companies.
The Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese) also reported the above
facts in an
article on March 28th. Furthermore, the Asahi Shimbun
English edition
reported on March 28th that the Tokyo Regional Taxation
Bureau had
ordered Kansai Line Co. to pay 50 million yen in back taxes and
penalties for falsely including so-called intermediation
fees totaling
130 million yen paid to Regent Star over a seven year period
until
December 2005, in its cost of loading logs in ports in
Sarawak, in an
effort to hide the payments.
The Asahi Shimbun Japanese edition further reported on March
27th that
shipping companies affiliated with the Nanyozai Freight
Agreement (NFA)
cartel are suspected to have paid more than US $25 million
(approx. 2.5
billion yen) in intermediation fees to Regent Star in the
ten years up
to 2005. An anonymous industry source is quoted as admitting
that "there
was an understanding that these were payments to the Chief
Minister's
family" and in essence, kickbacks.
According to the article, the NFA admitted that it had in
1981 entered
into an agreement with Dewaniaga Sarawak (DNS) on log
exports to Japan,
and had been instructed by DNS to pay intermediation fees to
Regent Star
in Hong Kong. The payments, which are said to have continued
for 26
years since 1981, are said to have started at a rate of
approximately US
$1.50 per cubic meter of logs shipped, and to have increased
over the
years to the current rate of US $3.28, while the log
shipments declined
from a peak of 3.8 million m3 in 1990 to about 410,000 m3 in
2005. The
report estimates that an average of one to four million
dollars per
year, totaling US $25,250,000 was paid to Regent Star
between 1996 and
2005 alone. The article also mentions that an industry
source alleged
that DNS director Dato' Onn Bin Mahmud, brother of CM Taib
Mahmud,
sometimes participated in person in negotiations of the
intermediation
fees between Regent Star and the NFA.
From the above, it should be crystal clear that the
allegations lodged
against CM Taib Mahmud by Malaysiakini and Party Keadilan
Rakyat Sarawak
are not based on rumor or hearsay, but on information
reported in a
consistent manner by several leading Japanese newspapers. As
organizations working in the Malaysian public interest,
Malaysiakini and
Party Keadilan have merely been exercising their freedom of
expression
and fulfilling their duty to raise concerns to the public
and competent
authorities regarding highly disturbing information meriting
further
investigation. In fact, it would have been dereliction of
their public
duty not to have done so.
If whistleblowers immediately face threats of litigation for
defamation,
how can citizens play an active role in eliminating
corruption? Should
not CM Taib Mahmud present a clear explanation rather than
resort to
such intimidation? And if he disagrees with the allegations
in the
reports, should he not question their sources in Japan and
the Japanese
tax authorities, rather than Malaysian citizens who are
merely bringing
them to the public attention?
In light of your pledge to make anti-corruption a top policy
priority
with "zero tolerance for corruption," we urge you to live up
to your
reputation by instructing the Malaysian Anti-Corruption
Agency (ACA)
directly under your supervision to immediately commence a
formal
investigation into the allegations raised in these media
reports, and to
keep the public informed of developments thereof. Party
Keadilan Rakyat
Sarawak has already lodged two reports on this matter as of
April 13th
2007, one with the Kuching Central Police Station and
another with the
Anti-Corruption Agency in Kuching, following your public
statement
advising that reports be lodged so that the ACA could take
action.
Japanese civil society will do its most to urge the Japanese
tax
authorities to cooperate with Malaysia in its investigation,
so that the
truth can be revealed and justice served.
Furthermore, we ask you to ensure that Malaysian citizens do
not face
undue pressure or malicious litigation in an attempt to
suppress their
freedom of speech when raising issues in the public
interest. Certainly
such transparency is crucial in upholding the honor and
untarnished
reputation of Malaysia in the international community.
Sincerely,
Sarawak Campaign Committee (SCC)
Friends of the Earth Japan (FOEJ)
Japan Tropical Forest Action Network (JATAN) The Japan
Citizens'
Coalition for the UN International Decade of theWorld's
Indigenous
Peoples (INDEC) Japan Network on Human Rights in Malaysia
Pacific Asia
Resource Center (PARC) Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands
Forest
Protection Group in JapanY.
Sakamoto, Global Environment Forum
Yess
i have been waiting for this!!!
Would be a thrill to attend... if only it coincides with my balik-kampong season... anyway, good luck to you, braddaa...
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